Which Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is Best for Lake Hartwell

Which Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is Best for Lake Hartwell

Currently there are two primary Multiple Listing Service (MLS) companies that serve Lake Hartwell (Georgia MLS and South Carolina Western Upstate MLS). As you may know, Lake Hartwell has over 962 miles of shoreline, and about 70% of that is in South Carolina.So…which one serves Buyers and Sellers the best?

It depends on who you talk to. Brokers that work out of Georgia (GA), and prioritize the GA side of the lake, would say GAMLS is the best. Brokers in South Carolina (SC) would say the SC Western Upstate MLS is a better choice because the majority of the lake is in SC. Fortunately; many Lake Hartwell Agents have access to both MLS systems and are licensed in both States. Based on my research and experience, the SC Western Upstate MLS has the most Lake Hartwell listings and is more “user friendly” than GAMLS. Recently I tested this assumption by sending the same property from each MLS system to a customer in Georgia. They were far more impressed by the SC Western Upstate MLS than the GAMLS system.

Personally, I use both MLS systems to market and give access to my Sellers and potential Buyers. Unfortunately, many Brokers don’t list all of their lake listings in both systems so Buyers on Auto Notification may not see all of the available properties in their search criteria. Sellers don’t get the exposure that they’re expecting.

So, if you’re a potential Buyer, what should you expect from your Buyer’s Agent? I would ask to have access to both MLS systems so I would have more options and choices. I would want to get new listings from SC Western Upstate MLS Auto-Notification, and also I would want access to GAMLS to be sure I saw all of the listings on the GA side of Lake Hartwell that may not have been entered into the SC system.As a Seller, I would make sure my property was listed in both MLS systems to get the most exposure.

In this market, Sellers need to have the maximum amount of exposure, and Buyers want to see as many comparable properties as they can to make sure they’ve made the best choice and decision.